Is the Cemetery Dead? by David Charles Sloane (review)

Abstract

study of the ethnic houses of south St. Louis), and more specific examples would contribute further to our understanding of the forces, structures, and personalities that effected the transformation at the center of the book. Remodeling and adaptive reuse, multifamily dwellings, rental housing, and boarding are included in this account, but still remain on the periphery of the study. More work needs to be done on these aspects of the workingclass home, especially the experiences of the boarders. The total focus on the question of class— and the limited analysis of the issues of race, public housing, and factory towns within this examination— needs further attention. As the author himself acknowledges, the study neglects whole regions of the United States, particularly the South and Texas, weakening the national claims so central to his thesis. These will be issues to be taken up by future scholars. Studies that pick up the work Hubka has done could also enlarge the scope of the field research by using digital sources and data scraping, including fire insurance maps, newspapers, water and sewer records, and even nomination forms. The field of digital humanities is one which vernacularists, focused on mass production and largescale studies, should investigate. This thoughtprovoking book challenges received wisdom in several fields and provides an important foundation for further, more nuanced investigation of the intertwined relationships of everyday houses, people, material goods, and technology during this transformational period. It not only does yeoman’s work in addressing an important and understudied field in the histories of housing and domestic architecture, but it also raises larger issues in the field of vernacular studies and architectural history, bringing them into relation with each other, drawing from the best of both. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Paula Lupkin is an associate professor of art and design history at the University of North Texas. Her research explores the interactions between capital flows, technology, and building cultures in the early twentieth century. Recent publications include “The Telegraphic Interior: Networking Space for Capital Flows in the 1920s” (2020) and “Standard Vernacular: Processes and Practices Beyond the Plan Factory” (2018).